Mobile phone use.

[219]

Most of the foregoing discussion presupposes that everyone is driving new cars with all this fancy technology .

None of my cars have it , although the two I use most regularly have Bury handsfree kits ; none of my work vehicles have any kind of handsfree equipment ( contrary to policy - phone use simply banned ) and even SWMBO's 2009 Ford Focus ( pretty new car from my viewpoint ) has no Bluetooth or suchlike .

There are lots of people still more than happily driving 10 , 20 , 30 or more year old vehicles and all this talk of technology is pie in the sky to them ( us ) .

I'm happy with my vehicles the way they are and view travelling time as a welcome break from being constantly contactable - the phone is either in my back pocket or might be in the boot - either way I feel no need to answer it and it doesn't bother me in the least to just let it ring until the caller realises I'm not going to answer. I also don't have voicemail since if it's important they will ring back later .

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Most of the foregoing discussion presupposes that everyone is driving new cars with all this fancy technology .

None of my cars have it , although the two I use most regularly have Bury handsfree kits ; none of my work vehicles have any kind of handsfree equipment ( contrary to policy - phone use simply banned ) and even SWMBO's 2009 Ford Focus ( pretty new car from my viewpoint ) has no Bluetooth or suchlike .

There are lots of people still more than happily driving 10 , 20 , 30 or more year old vehicles and all this talk of technology is pie in the sky to them ( us ) .

I'm happy with my vehicles the way they are and view travelling time as a welcome break from being constantly contactable - the phone is either in my back pocket or might be in the boot - either way I feel no need to answer it and it doesn't bother me in the least to just let it ring until the caller realises I'm not going to answer. I also don't have voicemail since if it's important they will ring back later .

You've missed the point slightly.

The technology is in the phone and, to a lesser extent, in the car.

What's being discussed is that the phone will detect motion and shut down calls and other online facilities unless a connection is made via bluetooth.

So in your older cars you couldn't use the phone which would suit you down to the ground, it wouldn't even ring.

You might be able to use the phone as a satnav.

Of course, there's always going to be some cleverdick who uses an ancient phone without GPS or bluetooth but I'd imagine that they are less likely to want to make calls while driving as they don't have an awful lot to say.

 

[MercedesDriver]

So what is the solution?

The only possible solution I can think of is that the cars are equipped with some sort of mobile signal interference device which will brick the phone whilst in a car.

 

[brucemillar]

I think in it's own way it needs to be seen as anti-social as smoking has now become. Maybe not the best example but you get my drift. If people start to see it as anti-social and not cool or acceptable then they will stop. There was a guy on the TV the night before last who when filmed then stopped by the Police stated in no uncertain terms "I will now lose my job". So knowing it could cost him his job (not to mention his life) he was prepared to take that risk. I wonder if he now would be prepared if given a second chance?

....and no I am not some do gooder preaching my message here. I am just airing my thoughts.

 

[Druk]

The only possible solution I can think of is that the cars are equipped with some sort of mobile signal interference device which will brick the phone whilst in a car.

Or while it's moving. Who needs a phone you can't operate whilst sitting outside McDonalds?

 

[219]

You've missed the point slightly.

The technology is in the phone and, to a lesser extent, in the car.

What's being discussed is that the phone will detect motion and shut down calls and other online facilities unless a connection is made via bluetooth.

So in your older cars you couldn't use the phone which would suit you down to the ground, it wouldn't even ring.

You might be able to use the phone as a satnav.

Of course, there's always going to be some cleverdick who uses an ancient phone without GPS or bluetooth but I'd imagine that they are less likely to want to make calls while driving as they don't have an awful lot to say.

None of my phones do that - nor do I want them to : I want to be able to use my phone whilst on the train or as a passenger in a car or bus ... even a Blackpool tramcar - without impediment or my teeth needing to be blue . Currently have a selection of iPhones 4 5 and 6 in the house so hardly ancient .

Some of the best mobile handsets I had were my Nokia 6310 etc , with the advanced handsfree carkits , no Bluetooth , no GPS , just reliable and simple telephony - even back then I spent little time on the things .

 

[219]

The only possible solution I can think of is that the cars are equipped with some sort of mobile signal interference device which will brick the phone whilst in a car.

Then when you need to make a genuine and legal emergency call - you can't .

 

[Deleted member 65149]

The simple technology solutions talked about here appear to rely on Bluetooth and GPS. But It's easy to turn off Bluetooth (as I do to preserve the battery charge for longer) so it's pretty certain the thousands of people who want to deny that there's an issue with phone use whilst driving will get round the restriction by turning off Bluetooth. And of course they then won't be able to use hands-free either. So you might say make Bluetooth permanently on, but how do you achieve that with existing phones? Any idea of a compulsory Ap sounds totally unworkable to me. How on earth would such an idea be administered and policed? And if all this could be done, how could passengers use their phones? A retrospective link to the seat belt detector in the driver's seat? Again, as unlikely as compulsory retrospective seatbelt fittings when they were introduced way back when. It's all feasible in brand new cars, but you'd be looking at 20+ years before the majority of people had those cars. But even then, you'd still get people asking in motoring forums like this how to get round the technology.

It may be the only way to go while we still have morons driving, but it'll take a very long time and still be very much open to abuse. We need a change in culture. We're slowly getting there with drink driving without any technological aids.

 

[219]

There's also the principle , and a huge difference , between choosing to do something because it is right , and digging one's heels in against that same thing because of being forced to do it .

 

[Deleted member 6183]

None of my phones do that - nor do I want them to : I want to be able to use my phone whilst on the train or as a passenger in a car or bus ... even a Blackpool tramcar - without impediment or my teeth needing to be blue . Currently have a selection of iPhones 4 5 and 6 in the house so hardly ancient .

Some of the best mobile handsets I had were my Nokia 6310 etc , with the advanced handsfree carkits , no Bluetooth , no GPS , just reliable and simple telephony - even back then I spent little time on the things .

You needn't worry, you could remain unaffected by modern living.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

The simple technology solutions talked about here appear to rely on Bluetooth and GPS. But It's easy to turn off Bluetooth (as I do to preserve the battery charge for longer) so it's pretty certain the thousands of people who want to deny that there's an issue with phone use whilst driving will get round the restriction by turning off Bluetooth. And of course they then won't be able to use hands-free either. So you might say make Bluetooth permanently on, but how do you achieve that with existing phones? Any idea of a compulsory Ap sounds totally unworkable to me. How on earth would such an idea be administered and policed? And if all this could be done, how could passengers use their phones? A retrospective link to the seat belt detector in the driver's seat? Again, as unlikely as compulsory retrospective seatbelt fittings when they were introduced way back when. It's all feasible in brand new cars, but you'd be looking at 20+ years before the majority of people had those cars. But even then, you'd still get people asking in motoring forums like this how to get round the technology.

It may be the only way to go while we still have morons driving, but it'll take a very long time and still be very much open to abuse. We need a change in culture. We're slowly getting there with drink driving without any technological aids.

In the scenario being discussed you could turn off Bluetooth but, then, be unable to use the phone in the car, isn't that what you wanted to achieve?

Change of culture and using drink driving as an example? Get out of here, it's taken over 30 years to get to where we are now.

 

[Lennox]

Improve the way people use technology in a way it's safer. If you try to restrict they will find a way to circumvent the control. Make them want to be safer then you have a snowball effect.. so that deals with younger people with new cars. The Issue then is old codgers in their old cars that don't have the latest tech or even BT.

[emoji1303][emoji1303][emoji12]

 

[219]

The real old codgers don't have mobile phones - I know several .

 

[MercedesDriver]

Then when you need to make a genuine and legal emergency call - you can't .

If it's a genuine and legal emergency call you will get out of the car and will be able to use your phone again. What kind of an emergency it can be that you need to make a call and drive? If a driver feels unwell he/she should stop driving the car on hard shoulder, lay bay or at services and make a call, but if you are late for a meeting, it's not an emergency and you should park at first legal parking area and make call.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

The real old codgers don't have mobile phones - I know several .

You're on a wind up!

 

[219]

If it's a genuine and legal emergency call you will get out of the car and will be able to use your phone again. What kind of an emergency it can be that you need to make a call and drive? If a driver feels unwell he/she should stop driving the car on hard shoulder, lay bay or at services and make a call, but if you are late for a meeting, it's not an emergency and you should park at first legal parking area and make call.

It can be a genuine and legal emergency call where it is impractical to stop , perhaps about something happening on the road - the law already provides for exactly this scenario .

 

[219]

You're on a wind up!

A great many older people don't have mobile phones - no wind up !

 

[zipdip]

Well I suspect many of us driving on motorways and fast A roads have seen completely crazy people reading maps,delivery notes,putting on make up,reading a book,as well as on the mobile phone,I was thinking that all this sending a cop out in a artic unit,and the police cars trying to enforce this law is time wasted,all over the country we have speed cameras why not forget about the speeding and take photo's of people using their phones,and then prosecute by post,after all these cameras are supposed to be about safety.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

A great many older people don't have mobile phones - no wind up !

Well I'll take you're word for it, after all you know 'several'.

Well I suspect many of us driving on motorways and fast A roads have seen completely crazy people reading maps,delivery notes,putting on make up,reading a book,as well as on the mobile phone,I was thinking that all this sending a cop out in a artic unit,and the police cars trying to enforce this law is time wasted,all over the country we have speed cameras why not forget about the speeding and take photo's of people using their phones,and then prosecute by post,after all these cameras are supposed to be about safety.

Can you see any flaw in this?

 

[Deleted member 65149]

A great many older people don't have mobile phones - no wind up !

I'm officially an older person because I'm a pensioner. I own a mobile phone but rarely use it - usually because the bloody battery is flat (I want my old Nokia back). Invariably I go out and forget to take my phone with me. It's a real pain when I'm in the car because it means I have to concentrate on driving instead of phone calls/Facebook/forums/...